TT footballers leave for Santo Domingo

Trinidad and Tobago’s Technical Director Lincoln Phillips is optimistic ahead of the country’s CONCACAF World Cup qualifier against the Dominican Republic tomorrow in Santo Domingo.  The TT footballers slipped to recent heavy defeats to Scotland (1-4) and Northern Ireland (0-3), but Phillips believes their recent outings should prepare them well for the CONCACAF preliminaries. “We have had some decent matches leading up to this campaign and whereas before we would have played Guyana or St Vincent and not notice our mistakes, having played the likes of Scotland this time has allowed us to be punished and realised where we need to step up,” Phillips said. “Sunday’s match should see us do well. It’s like a dress rehearsal when you make a lot of mistakes before the real thing. It’s important that we get a result and get the momentum going,” Phillips added.

Trinidad and Tobago, eight-time Caribbean Cup champions and number two ranked — behind Jamaica — in the Caribbean Football Union (CFU), are heavy favourites to get past the CFU’s 15th-ranked Dominican Republic in their two-match series. The TT squad was scheduled to depart last night for Santo Domingo, and the return match is set for Trinidad and Tobago on June 20. Skipper Angus Eve is also quietly confident that his troops can get the job done in Santo Domingo.  “There are certain things that we have had to work on as a team and I feel confident that we can go there and get the desired result which could take off some of the pressure we are under at this point,” Eve said.

TT Squad: Goalkeepers — Clayton Ince, Durance Williams; Defenders — Anthony Rougier, Marvin Andrews, Brent Sancho, Derek King, Dennis Lawrence, Keyeno Thomas, Marlon Rojas; Midfielders — Angus Eve, Carlos Edwards, Denzil Theobald, Hayden Fitzwilliam, Kenwyne Jones, Kerry Baptiste, Kerwyn Jemmott; Forwards — Darryl Roberts, Stern John. (CMC)